Hobey Baker winner Dryden McKay discusses suspension for banned substance - Sportsnet.ca
Eight days later, on Jan. 31, McKay got the notification, informing him of what is known as a “provisional suspension.” The next day, he hired Greene. Among previous clients is Canadian pole vaulter Shawn Barber, the 2015 World Champion. Barber initially was banned from the 2016 Olympics for a drug violation, but Greene’s advocacy led to a reversal.
The next 48 hours were complete chaos. McKay withdrew from the Olympics, shipped “my proteins, vitamins, everything” to a lab for analysis. Focus zoomed in on a bottle of Quercetin, a plant-based antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that some use as an immune-booster or recovery tool for COVID.
McKay was taking it exactly for that reason, as Omicron surged. He wanted to protect himself as much as possible during his final college season. But, if you’ve ever dealt in the world of supplements, you know how tricky it is. Ingredients aren’t always what they are marked to be.
It’s a minefield.
“I made the mistake of taking it,” he said. “But I could have never imagined that this would have been the result of taking something like that.”
“This has happened to hundreds of people I’ve represented,” Greene added. “Taking what seems like an innocent vitamin that turned out to be contaminated.”
What saved McKay in the short-term was that this particular company (which he and Greene would not name) agreed to send a sealed Quercetin bottle to the lab for analysis.
“Typically the only way to get the provisional suspension lifted is to show not just the open version is contaminated, but the sealed version of the same lot number, too,” Greene said. “There are instances over time where people have tried to manipulate the supplement and thrown a drug in there, which is absurd. You need the sealed version.”
Lab testing confirmed both the open and sealed bottle contained Ostarine.
“This vitamin was the positive source,” Greene said. “Honestly, every time I see something like this, that a vitamin that says it’s all-natural, an immune-booster, would somehow be contaminated with Ostarine — which is an illegal compound in the United States. It’s amazing how unregulated the supplement and vitamin industry is.”
It’s a critical reminder. If you’re an athlete taking them, know the risks and the responsibilities.
